In my mind, fall is the season of Asters and Goldenrods.

Smooth Aster, New England Aster, Sky Blue Aster, Gray Goldenrod and Blue-stemmed Goldenrod are in full bloom in my garden as I write this.

As I looked through my previous Plant of the Month posts, I realized I’ve covered a couple of Asters (Smooth and New England) but I have not yet talked about any Goldenrods.
Of the 140 species of Goldenrods worldwide, 115 are native to Canada and the US. Where I live in southern Ontario, we have at least 25 species that are indigenous to the region and I have at least 16 of them planted in my garden.
There’s a goldenrod for every garden. Some, like Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) or Grass-leaved Goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia) are probably too aggressive for most garden spaces, but we have many well-behaved goldenrods to choose from. And there is a goldenrod for shade, sun, dry, moist and everything in between so you can add some to your garden, too.
This month I’ve picked one of my long-time favourite goldenrods – Solidago caesia, or Blue-stemmed Goldenrod. It is easy to grow, loves part shade, and produces beautiful sprays of yellow all fall.

Solidago caesia produces beautiful sprays of yellow

As usual, the Plant Description and In the Garden sections are courtesy of Shawn Booth from In Our Nature. The content of this article is excerpted from our book The Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants of the Southern Great Lakes Region (Firefly Books), available wherever you buy your books.

Scientific Name: Solidago caesia

Family: Asteraceae (Aster Family) 

Alternate Common Names: Woodland Goldenrod, Wreath Goldenrod 

Plant description: Bue-stemmed Goldenrod has sparingly branched, arching stems that are green when young but turn blueish purple with age.  Leaves are alternate, elliptic-oblong (long and rounded) in shape and measure about 12cm long, 2cm wide and become smaller as they ascend the stem. They are stalkless, hairless and have serrated edges. Small clusters of 1-12 yellow flowers develop from upper leaf axils (where the leaf meets the stem) and at the very tip of the stem. Each flower is 3mm wide and has 4-5 ray flowers (petals) surrounding 4-5 disk flowers. At the base of each flower, you will notice small bracts that are overlapping, smooth and oblong. Flowers mature into small, finely hairy seeds that have small tufts of hairs attached to them. 

Solidago caesia flowers

In the Garden: Blue-stemmed Goldenrod is a shade-loving goldenrod with a well-behaved clumping habit. As if its graceful, arching stems and dark green leaves aren’t reason enough to love this plant, it is adorned with bright yellow flowers late in the season that make it a real crowd-pleaser.

In the Garden: Bue-stemmed Goldenrod is a shade-loving goldenrod with a well-behaved clumping habit. As if its graceful, arching stems and dark green leaves aren’t reason enough to love this plant, it is adorned with bright yellow flowers late in the season that make it a real crowd-pleaser. 

Skill level:  beginner 

Lifespan: perennial 

Exposure: medium shade to full sun 

Soil Type: most well drained soils; tolerates poor soil 

Moisture: medium to dry 

Height: 45-90 cm 

Spread:  30-60 cm 

Spacing: 45 cm 

Bloom Period: late-Aug, Sep 

Colour: yellow 

Fragrant (Y/N): N 

Showy Fruit (Y/N): N 

Cut Flower (Y/N): Y 

Pests: no serious insect or disease problems though rust may be an occasional problem 

Natural Habitat: rich, deciduous or open woods, the edges of woods and in clearings 

Butterfly Larva Host Plant For: none 

Wildlife value: attracts native and honeybees, wasps, flies and butterflies and the seeds are occasionally eaten by the several small songbirds 

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-8 

Propagation: Small seeds need light to germinate and benefit from 90 days cold, moist stratification. Mature plants may be divided and new plants may be started from stem cuttings. 

Solidago caesia seeds are dispersed by wind.

Additional Info: This species is primarily clump-forming and does not spread aggressively as do some of the other goldenrod species and hybrids. 

Native Range:  

Shaded area is considered the native range of Solidago caesia.